2020 Bien Nacido Estate, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA

Rather bold and ripe on the nose. Dark and intense fruit, coffee bean, citrus and charred oak with warming oak flavours. Dense with an attractive, creamy texture and pleasant soft finish.

Drink 2023 - 2029

The 2020 Pinot Noir Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard is a heady, exuberant wine that very much reflects the heat and drought of year. A burst of red cherry/plum fruit, hard candy, kirsch, rose petal, mint, lavender and sweet spice gives the 2020 is flashy personality. The 2020 is not exactly subtle, but it sure offers tons of immediacy and overall appeal.

Anthony Avila turned out a gorgeous set of wines at both Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estate. Avila commented that yields were generous in 2020 because of good set. Skins were light though, so extractions took some time. The Chardonnays were mostly off before the worst of the heat, while spikes were harder on the later-ripening varieties. In this vintage, the Pinots were fully destemmed.

Drink 2022 - 2028

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from across the estate and was matured in about 45% new oak. Grapes were entirely destemmed this year. "I was really worried about smoke taint," winemaker Anthony Avila says. "It's said that you must discard all the green parts of the plant. It was the right choice, and I'd do it again." Instead of using whole clusters, "We kept our foot on the gas in terms of extraction," Avila explains. "We did more punch downs and longer pump overs." 

Medium ruby in colour, the Bien Nacido Pinot Noir features intense aromas of cranberry sauce, blood orange, mushroom, tar and forest floor with accents of cinnamon and liquorice. The medium-bodied palate is super silky and loaded with sweet berry preserves. Its oak spices are well integrated, its acidity bright, and it finishes long and spicy.

Drink 2022 - 2027

I loved the nose on the 2020 Estate Pinot Noir, which offers a wild assortment of red and black berries, sappy herbs, flowers, iron, and exotic baking spices. These carry to a medium-bodied, concentrated, focused, age-worthy Pinot Noir with beautiful depth of fruit, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Give it a year or two and enjoy over the following decade. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it only got better. It’s unquestionably a thrilling, brilliant wine. This was all destemmed and spent 16 months in 43% new French oak.

These are brilliant wines across the board from Bien Nacido’s Anthony Avila, who has been at the estate since 2013. The farming here is managed by Chris Hammell, and this all-star team is delivering the goods.

Drink 2023 - 2034